Hydrocarbons, such as oil and gas, are often produced from wellbores penetrating hydrocarbon-bearing subterranean formations or portions thereof. Conventionally, a subterranean formation is prepared for the production of oil and/or gas therefrom by drilling a wellbore into the subterranean formation. During the drilling operation, a drilling fluid, also referred to as drilling mud, is conventionally circulated through the wellbore as the bore borehole is drilled. The presence of such a drilling mud aids in the drilling operation, for example, by removing cuttings from the wellbore, (e.g., by suspending and releasing cuttings returned to the surface), controlling pressures within the subterranean formation, sealing permeable and/or semi-permeable portions of the subterranean formation, stabilizing the subterranean formation, cooling and lubricating the drilling apparatus, and facilitating completion operations. As the drilling mud is circulated through the wellbore during a drilling operation, the drilling mud is deposited on the surfaces of the growing wellbore in a thin, low-permeability layer known as a filter cake, thus inhibiting the loss of mud and/or mud filtrate or other wellbore fluids to the formation during the drilling and/or other servicing operations. In addition, drilling mud may be utilized in formation evaluation procedures, such as well logging.
Various types of drilling muds may be suitable for use during drilling operations. Generally, types of drilling muds include water-based drilling fluids and oil-based drilling fluids. Often, either intentionally or unintentionally, some amount of water may be present within such oil-based drilling fluids, thereby making water-in-oil emulsions (also known as invert emulsions). Often, the selection of a given type and/or configuration of drilling mud is often based upon the properties associated with that type of drilling mud.
Where oil-based muds, particularly, invert emulsion muds, are selected, one or more surfactants may be employed to stabilize the emulsion. However, such invert emulsion drilling muds comprising conventional surfactants result in filter cakes that are difficult to thoroughly remove without damaging the formation and/or the wellbore. As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the productivity of the wellbore is dependent upon the removal of the filter cake without damage to the formation or the wellbore.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved wellbore servicing fluid system and methods of using the same.